A Birthday Gone Wrong
by Rose Cartwright
Summary: Joe's family and his girlfriend are throwing him a surprise party. But what will Joe do when he has to search for where the party is and things go wrong, well wrong to him?


October 31st came around and this year it was a little different then every other year. Instead of just celebrating Joe's birthday like normal this year they are throwing him a surprise party in Virginia City. The thing is, Joe isn't sure where it's going to be held. Everyone in town and his family, even Hop Sing knows where it's held but no one will tell him.

"Joe, there's going to be little clues on where it's going to be held," was all he was getting from everyone. He sighed and picked up the journal his pa got him last year and wrote a little.

'_Well I am still getting the normal answers about where the party will be held. The only thing I am getting is that there's going to be small clues on where it's going to be but yet no one is telling me what the clues will look like or where they will be at. Well more later.'_

He put his pen back in the journal and put the journal in the night stands drawer. There was a knock on his room's door. He got up and answered it and there stood his girlfriend Vanessa, "hello Joe," she said in a dirty, bloody white dress.

"Uh, hello, are you okay honey?" he asked her.

"Yeah, oh this, it's just something your Pa said would be perfect to wear to your party and that I am your first clue on it," she replied.

"You're all bloody and dirty. Your dress is all ripped and it looks like you have a few leaves in your hair," Joe told her, "so, I guess I have to dress up like I am dead?"

"Yes, you got clue one right, well, I have your outfit downstairs, let's go down there, get you changed and ready and then we take Brownie and Cochise and we go find clue number two, but I am not allowed to tell you where it's hidden," she told him, "but I gave you a clue already."

"So the next clue is in the barn?" he asked and turned to face her and she was gone. He was confused and went downstairs and he couldn't find her anywhere's. He picked up the outfit and saw a small note saying 'clue #2' he opened it and read, 'go to barn and look for the unseen.'

"What does that mean?" he asked out loud and got changed quick like into the outfit Vanessa had waiting for him, which was a phantom of the opera type outfit with a mask that covered the areas around his eyes and forehead only.

He checked himself out in the mirror then went to the barn. He saw Cochise but no Vanessa or Brownie. He turned to get his blanket to put under his saddle and that was missing. He sighed and grabbed the extra blanket and placed it on Cochise then put his saddle on. After the saddle was done up he mounted Cochise and above the door was something shiny. He got off Cochise, climbed a ladder and grabbed the shiny object and it had 3 written on it. He sighed, twisted the top off and all that was in it was a small rose petal.

"Man Cooch, this family of ours is going to drive me nuts by the time the party is here," he told his horse as he climbed back on to the saddle. He slipped clue number three into his saddle bag and off towards Virginia City he went.

Half way there Cochise came to a dead stop and wouldn't go any further. Joe looked around and some how he was at a small river and Cochise wasn't crossing the bridge.

"Turn around and let's go the other way," Joe told his horse who obeyed and turned around. As they were heading back Joe was starting to get a little worried since the whole woods was oddly dark and the trees were swaying and limbs were creaking and cracking.

He clicked his tongue and tapped his heels against Cochise's sides and he went into a run. Cochise stopped when something fell to the ground in front of him.

Joe slowly and carefully climbed off his horse and when he got to what fell it was a 'bloody' bale of hay.

"Clue four?" Joe asked reading the card. He opened it and read to Cochise, "Well boy listen to this one, 'Go to river and cross, head straight four yards and you'll see a small well."

Cochise shook his head no, "I know boy it's creepy but if we want to get to Pa and them we gotta, and you get to see brownie again," Joe said as he climbed onto Cochise. Cochise turned back to the river's direction and headed back. He got to the bridge and crossed it slowly.

"Good boy, now, let's do what the clue says that's here in your saddle bag," Joe said and Cochise headed in the direction he was supposed to. Joe spotted the well up a head a few feet and steered Cochise that way. He got there and saw a note that says Clue 5 on the front.

"Great all I want to do is a damn clue hunt tonight," Joe mumbled and Cochise grabbed the clue and handed it to Joe, "thanks," Joe told his horse, "Go straight a few miles until you see a house.' That's all it says so let's go boy."

He felt Cochise sigh beneath him as he headed in the direction he was told to go. They finally got to the house after about four miles. Joe got off and Cochise had some water out of the trough that was near by. He then stood at a grass patch and started eating some.

"Go on straight, you'll find the next clue," Joe read, "well Cochise, let's go to the next clue." He re-mounted Cochise and they headed to where the next clue would be, "you know boy, I just realized, all these are written in Vanessa's hand. Weird, but why would she be the one doing the clues? Unless this whole thing is her way of getting even with me for not going to the dance with her two weeks ago?"

They finally arrived at a small pond and someone was standing there with their back to them. Clue 6 was written on the back of the person, Joe slowly took his gun out and pointed it at the person, "who, who are you?" Joe asked getting scared since the person didn't even budge when Cochise walked a little closer.

The person turned around and there stood Adam. To Joe it looked like Adam had a gun shot wound to the left shoulder, "we, we go four miles north," Adam told his younger brother acting like the gunshot was real. Joe got off his horse and Sport came out of hiding and Joe helped Adam onto his horse.

"Easy Adam, let's go," Joe said and got onto Cochise. When his back was turned to Adam, Adam smiled and thought, 'Man if Vanessa lives after this huge trick on Joe, It'll be a miracle."

Adam made Sport go up next to Cochise and he was still acting like he was in a lot of pain, "Joe don't stop until the end," was all he got out and 'passed out.'

Joe grabbed a hold of Sports reins and led him the way. He wanted to stop and help his older brother but Adam did just tell him not to stop and if he didn't listen he'd get his but kicked if everything goes right.

Four long miles later Joe came across a house. He brought the horses to a stop and saw a wagon; he got an idea and hooked the horses up to the wagon after taking Adam off his horse. After they were hooked up correctly Joe picked Adam up and put him on the back of the wagon, "stay put," Joe told Adam and left to go find Clue #6.

Adam chuckled a little and saw Hoss sitting in a chair making it look like he was dead, "HOSS!" Joe called, "No, not my brothers."

Joe had tears in his eyes and found a paper with Clue #6 written in 'blood' pinned to Hoss with an arrow. Joe unhooked it and opened it, "Put him in the wagon with Adam, go four more miles north. Clue #7 is waiting," Joe read and wondered how he'd get Hoss to the wagon. He got the idea of dragging him out on a sheet that was in the same room. So he pulled the sheet over, rolled Hoss onto it and Hoss tried his hardest not to say ouch when his head it the floor with a thud. Joe then dragged the sheet out with Hoss on it and then the problem came, how is he going to get Hoss onto the wagon?

He looked around and found a plank of wood that was a bigger size. He went over, got it, put the break on the wagon, and dragged Hoss up onto the wagon that way. The tears were rolling down his cheeks as he was doing the whole thing. After Hoss was on the wagon he un-locked the break and whipped the reins and headed in the direction he was supposed to. Scared to know what lies ahead for him.

When he got to the spot he didn't see anything there. Suddenly a big flash of light came with a bunch of smoke. When the smoke was cleared away he looked and Hoss and Adam were missing out of the back of the wagon.

"Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble," he heard in an odd, creepy voice. He looked around and where the empty spot was is now a witch standing there by a cauldron. There was a fire burning bright under it and he thought 'man this is one odd clue hunt.'

"I smell blood," a third unfamiliar voice said, "smells like the fourth Cartwright has joined us for dinner sisters."

Joe gulped and started to back the horses up but the wagon hit something and broke a wheel.

"Don't be scared my sweets, we're not going to hurt you," a voice said that sounded kind of familiar to him.

"Vanessa?" he squeaked out.

"Yes my love, it is I, Vanessa!" she said and threw something onto the flames to make them burn brighter. He glanced around and couldn't find his family but found four grave type areas.

"Unfaithful Souls, long since dead. Deep asleep in thy wormy bed. Wiggle thy toes, open thine eyes. Twist thy fingers towards the sky. Life is sleepy, not to shy, on thy feet so say 'aye" Vanessa spoke and Ben, Hoss and Adam all slowly rose from the graves they were in.

"Pa? Adam? Hoss?" he asked feeling the tears build up more, "No, Vanessa why?"

"Come to me my children, come to me!" she shouted and a bunch more 'zombies' came from the woods. Suddenly they all turned to Joe and headed his way.

He got out of the wagon and started backing away but got grabbed from behind and was taken to Vanessa. She grabbed him, kissed him and everyone started laughing.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!" they all called laughing, even Ben, Hoss and Adam were laughing.

"But you all are?" Joe asked as he slowly sat down in a chair that was brought to him.

"Honey, I told you I was good with my makeup," Vanessa told him and he smiled, "sorry fro the clue hunting and the family acting dead on you."

"It's, It's fine, this time honey," he told her and they hugged.

"Happy Birthday baby," Vanessa told him.

"Thank you, thank you everyone and wow this is one odd birthday now, but it was fun, even though Cochise was scared to cross the bridge at first," Joe said making everyone laugh.

"Yeah Brownie, Sport, Chubs and Buck were scared of that bridge also but it was the only way across without going in the water," Ben spoke up.

"Whoa, creepy make up Pa," Joe said as they hugged.

"Thanks, blame Vessa, she even did Hoss's death and Adam's to make it look real," Ben said, "she used food coloring and water that was thickened by flour."

"Wow, well, let's PARTY!" Joe shouted and the band started playing and they all danced the night away.


End file.
